Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human Interactions
Artificial intelligence is entering realms traditionally occupied by humans, such as workplace advice and emotional support. Hy, a company that identifies as a new venture ecosystem, is betting on heightened value for face-to-face human interaction due to this AI advancement.
AI’s Role in Conversations
Hy is experimenting with AI to record and analyze face-to-face interactions. In its ‘forest walk’ experiments, participants engage with a human while AI documents and summarizes their dialogue. According to Weston Mossman, Hy’s product and experience lead, systems might record conversations, assist in decision-making, and help map collective knowledge while keeping humans responsible for interpreting and directing the work.
Experimentation and Expansion
Hy has run 21 experiments where participants own their conversation transcripts. They can request the AI to consider different perspectives on the discussion, deciding the implications for future dialogues. Furthermore, Hy integrates conversations into a shared note repository, analyzed by AI for recurring themes or contradictions, aiding the team in identifying areas needing more focus.
The company, launched on September 19 in the Bay Area of San Francisco, collaborates with over 100 communities and organizations, encompassing tech firms, financial institutions, startup ecosystems, and communities of practice. Another launch is anticipated in Lisbon, Portugal, in November.
Hy founder and CEO Ariana Bahrami believes local communities and diverse environments can facilitate growth, allowing ideas to evolve with their recipients.
Emotional Support and AI
Hy positions itself as an incubator for the ‘life-centric economy,’ leveraging existing AI models instead of creating its own. They aim to use these models to enhance ‘love, life, and joy.’
The American Psychological Association’s 2025 Stress in America survey revealed 54% of U.S. adults frequently felt isolated. Half reported lacking companionship, while 69% needed more emotional support the previous year. Simultaneously, 92% viewed relationships as meaningful. Some individuals are using AI for emotional assistance. A November 2025 NAMI/Ipsos survey indicated 12% of U.S. adults might use AI chatbots for mental-health services soon, with 1% already doing so.
John Torous, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, informed a congressional hearing that millions in the U.S. are utilizing AI tools weekly for unintended mental-health support. While not specifically designed for therapy, these tools provide some degree of assistance.
Offline Interaction Trends
At the same time, there is a resurgence in offline gatherings. Strava’s 2025 Year in Sport report documented a fourfold increase in new club formations, totaling one million. Running clubs expanded by 3.5 times, and club-organized events grew 1.5 times yearly. Although these statistics are from Strava’s global platform rather than specific to the U.S., they indicate rising interest in organized communities.
Hy explores using AI to bolster human interactions rather than replace them, suggesting AI might open a market for irreplaceable human connection.
Division of Labor in AI and Human Interaction
Adopting a framework from researcher Dave Snowden, Hy delineates labor between AI and humans. AI handles ‘salience,’ organizing and highlighting information, while humans retain ‘sapience,’ interpreting this data, and ‘sentience,’ which is the emotional aspect influencing decisions. Mossman notes this structure has refined Hy’s own operations, speeding up documentation processes and allowing more time for dialogue and relationships.
Though loneliness existed before generative AI, the data doesn’t confirm whether AI has exacerbated it. Nonetheless, Hy’s approach is predicated on increasing the value of human connection as AI assumes more workloads.